HIV Stigma and Health Care Discrimination Experienced by Hispanic or Latino Persons with HIV - United States, 2018-2020

MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2022 Oct 14;71(41):1293-1300. doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7141a1.

Abstract

Hispanic or Latino (Hispanic) persons with HIV experience disparities in HIV health outcomes compared with some other racial and ethnic groups. A previous report found that the percentages of Hispanic persons who received HIV care, were retained in care, and were virally suppressed were lower than those among non-Hispanic White persons with HIV (1). HIV stigma and discrimination are human rights issues associated with adverse HIV outcomes; eliminating stigma and discrimination among persons with HIV is a national priority*,,§ (2,3). CDC analyzed data from the Medical Monitoring Project (MMP), an annual, cross-sectional study designed to report nationally representative estimates of experiences and outcomes among adults with diagnosed HIV. Data from the 2018-2020 cycles were analyzed to assess self-reported stigma and health care discrimination using adapted versions of validated multi-component scales among 2,690 adult Hispanic persons with HIV in the United States overall and by six characteristics. The median HIV stigma score on a scale of 0-100 was 31.7, with women (35.6) and American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN) persons (38.9) reporting the highest scores among Hispanic persons with HIV. HIV stigma was primarily attributed to disclosure concerns (e.g., fearing others will disclose one's HIV status and being careful about who one tells about one's HIV status). Nearly one in four (23%) Hispanic persons with HIV experienced health care discrimination. Health care discrimination was experienced more frequently by Hispanic men (23%) than by Hispanic women (18%) and by Black or African American (Black) Hispanic persons (28%) than by White Hispanic persons (21%). Understanding disparities in experiences of stigma and discrimination is important when designing culturally appropriate interventions to reduce stigma and discrimination.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Black or African American
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Delivery of Health Care
  • Female
  • HIV Infections* / diagnosis
  • HIV-1*
  • Hispanic or Latino
  • Humans
  • Male
  • United States / epidemiology